A mobile device user can use a mobile device to enhance the experience of attending an event. For example, an automobile racing enthusiast can use a particular mobile device at an automobile race track that enables the enthusiast to select portions of an automobile race to watch from various broadcast cameras and to select different radio conversations to listen between various automobile drivers and their pit crews. Broadcasters of events can rent such mobile devices to mobile device users, but a rental process can require a significant amount of time and money to distribute the mobile devices to the users before the event and to collect the mobile devices after the event. Some enthusiasts who regularly attend such events may prefer to purchase mobile devices for reuse at future events.
The above described situation presents unique problems that are not adequately addressed by existing device activation systems. For example, a large number of broadcast transmission receivers need to be activated and/or deactivated on an event by event basis. Because the event is broadcast only locally to mobile devices, the activation of the mobile device is continued when the mobile device is temporarily moved out of the limited broadcast range to avoid the need for reactivation when the mobile device is returned to within the limited broadcast range. However, continuous activation creates problems for mobile devices reported as lost or stolen, which need to be deactivated before or during an event. Continuous activation also enables a mobile device to receive broadcasts of subsequent events for which the mobile device is not subscribed. The activation from different sources could be accommodated, including internet subscriptions and point-of-sale transactions. Broadcasters and mobile device users each benefit from a device activation system that addresses these and other problems.